A Glimpse into the Mind of Mason
by Mason Storm
Summary: Have fun with the voice in your new imaginary head! D
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I bring you a glimpse into the mind of Mason! Because I am weak and cannot keep this to myself, I am posting it. This is my character development exercise I went through in an effort to better understand Mason. This corresponds with stuff in Chapter 4 which I will hopefully post soon. If you are afraid of spoilers then you probably shouldn't read this yet. Though I tried to make sure nothing was really mentioned. I hope all of you enjoy reading it as much as it helped me. **

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I left her room as fast I could, zooming to my own room, on the other side of the house and on the third floor, in a matter of seconds. I slowed down once I got to my room, closing and locking the door. Walking slowly to my balcony, I perched up on the railing, staring out at the forest and eventually the ground a good twenty feet below me. I lithely leaped up onto the roof, going to stand at the edge and continuing to gaze out at the forest.

I turned my mind inward to the myriad of questions I had. To which I had very few answers. Danica Rosewald had unexpectedly appeared in my life only a few weeks ago. At first she was just another human. Another human I could amuse myself with like all the others. Most of them did not know excitement, but even as indestructible as I was, I was still not free. Not completely anyway.

There were rules I was forced to obey, and out of fear no less. I hated how I was forced to live.

_They have ample reason to keep our existence secret from the humans_, the voice whispered in my mind.

It was the same argument I had with it so many times before. I knew it by heart. After all, I only needed to hear it once. I closed the voice out of my mind. Invaluably useful and astoundingly annoying at the same time. I liked it for the most part. Only when it disagreed with me did I dislike it.

My thoughts, like so many other times before, wandered back to Danica. She haunted me constantly. The rules dictated I kill her. I only now realized, I was fooling myself to ever think I could. I was weak. It disgusted me that I couldn't bring myself to kill a single weak human. More physical strength than I knew what to do with and I couldn't even use it.

I spun angrily and walked to the opposite end of the roof. I had to find a way to remove her from my life. I had to. She was dragging me down and would be the end of me. I bolted back the way I had come, clearing the distance in less than a second and leaping straight off the roof. The hundred feet to the beginning of the forest sailed by under me. The cool night wind whistled by me. I felt myself begin to arc towards the ground. I sighed, reluctantly readying myself for impact.

The ground sped towards me and I slammed into it with probably the same force as a small car crash. I leaned backwards as my feet slid across the ground, raking out two deep trenches in the ground among the trees. I wasn't stopping too quickly.

I threw my hand up right in front of a tree branch as it flew by. I used it to swing myself up and land perfectly on it.

What are you doing to me and how are you doing it, Danica?

_Such are the quandaries of all sentient beings. Your emotions are your inevitable downfall._

I know that, but they aren't exactly a part of me I can just cast off.

_But you can train yourself to resist them just as you did the thirst. That is nothing more than a nuisance now._

Emotions can be much more powerful and driving than the thirst. Somethings can only be understood through experience.

_You are forgetting that I have _your_ experience to draw upon._

You cannot experience emotion. Don't even try and fool me into thinking otherwise.

_Maybe not, but I _can _analyze and examine your memories for errors. Things that could have been avoided had you listened to your rational mind and me._

Don't even start on this again. I have no desire to hear it. You are very adept at keeping me alive in battle, but stay out of my affairs otherwise.

_This woman could very well cause your demise should she be allowed to live. They do not look kindly on educated humans. _

You don't need to educate me about the rules! I know them well. I've had to live by them for too long.

_Anger will get you nowhere. Quell it._

The trees whizzed by as I came up to the front door. I pulled it open, immediately shutting it and blew up the stairs stopping in front of her door.

_You are seeing her again? Why?_

Because I want to. Is that so hard to understand? I hated myself for allowing the desire to overwhelm me.

_This pointless relationship you have with her is only serving to prove my point. She must be disposed of._

I slammed the doors shut in my mind, eliminating the voice from my consciousness. Disgust and dread filled me in pursuit of his statement. I silently opened the door and stole into the quiet darkness of her room. The only sounds were her slow breathing and steady heartbeat. She was asleep.

I noiselessly appeared at her bedside, staring down at her. Her fair skin illuminated to me by the soft lamp light. I quickly reached over and shut off the lamp. The only sound a light click. My eyes saw as easily with the light as without.

I stood over her, studying her frail human form. I lifted my hands from my sides and changed to studying them. How many other humans had I killed with these or a tool held by these? None of them mattered to me. What makes you so special, Danica?

Why can't I kill you?

It would be so easy. You don't know how frail you are. It would only take a fraction of a second. You wouldn't even know what happened. I moved my hands slowly down till they were hovering over her neck. My hands froze where they were, refusing to move any further. I strained and willed my hands to continue. To end my problem.

But they would not. They could not. I could not. Try as I might, I could not end her life.... nor could I permit somebody else to do it for me. I retracted my hands. The outcome was no different than the dozen other times I had tried. I could not allow her to die so long as I had a say in the matter. I turned away from her, disgusted and hating myself anew.

I wandered to my corner chair, sitting without a sound and opening my mind once again to the voice.

_Why did you not do it?_

Because I _can't_!! Why do you not understand that?

_Because it's illogical. There is no reason you should not be able to kill her. She is no more special than the thousands of humans you have slaughtered in the past._

I stared at my hands.

You saw me. I tried. I truly tried to do it.

_Yes and you failed. So you must try again. You must continue to try until you succeed. She will destroy you if you allow her to live._

I understood all too well the cold logic the voice was using. It was only the truth. She would end up destroying me should I allow her to live. I appeared next to her again, bringing my hands down in a flash to her neck.

They abruptly halted in the same spot as last time. And the time before that. And the time before that.... and the time before that.

I tightened every muscle in my body in an effort to shove past the invisible impenetrable barrier between her neck and my hands. I put my body weight behind it as well. The force could be equated to a semi-truck barreling downhill at sixty miles per hour without brakes.

My hands refused to budge.

I flew silently out of the room, detesting myself. Try as I might I could not despise her even though she was the true cause of my distress.

Why was I so weak? She's only a human. Kill her!

I couldn't tell if the the last part was me or the voice. I flitted through the house and out the back door to a small clearing several hundred feet from the house. There were several concrete posts stuck in the ground. Anton and I spent time here practicing whatever martial art we felt like when we were bored. Anton was actually there now.

I stormed into the clearing, interrupting his practice.

"You seem especially angry tonight. Did you try again?" Anton wondered.

"Twice." I positioned myself in front of one of the pillars.

"And?" Anton asked impatiently.

"I failed twice." I whipped around angrily and backhanded the pillar, shattering the top foot of it with a thunderous crack and shudder. I stared at the pieces. Why am I so weak?

"Well, come on. Work out some stress." Anton assumed a standard Tae-Kwon-Do 'L' stance.

I viciously attacked Anton without warning. He easily began defending against me. I had him painfully pinned a couple minutes later.

Danica... her name echoed through my thoughts without pause.

Why am I so weak?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I finally finished! This is the second glimpse you get. Although it's more so you know what happens while Danica is out paintballing with Estus. This is a very important scene. It reveals a LOT, but if you finish reading with more new questions than new answers, then I did my job well. Have fun with it! =D**

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I disappeared in front of her. I tried to avoid doing that, because I didn't know how she reacted. I didn't want to scare her.

I cursed myself and my bad luck. The bad luck that brought me... Her. The one thing in this world capable of bringing me down. The only human capable of bringing me to my knees. I hated it. I was weak. Why could I not hate her? Why could I not k.... My mind refused to allow the thought to come to fruition. Damnit! A feral snarl ripped through my teeth.

_You need to get a hold of yourself. You are far too emotional, _the voice advised me.

Emotions are not so easy to contend with as you believe them to be, I replied.

I threw my car into reverse and spun it around. I shifted gears before the car stopped moving and floored the gas. Every cell in my body yearned and desired to go back and stay with her, but the shame I felt overpowered all. I had no rational reason for feeling as I did. My only thoughts were hiding myself. She had to hate me now.

She had to.

For my sake and hers, she had to hate me.

Maybe then she would leave me alone and go on with her life. I clamped my hands down on the wheel to prevent myself from turning around and driving back. The wheel was made of steel, but that only meant it would withstand a tiny bit more of my strength. I barely refrained from crushing it.

The speedometer flicked past 120.... 130.... I forcibly relaxed my grip.

There was only one person who could understand. Only one person who could make sure I wasn't imagining these feelings.... shame... desire... It'd been so long since I'd visited him. I didn't understand him. He viewed himself as an outcast of our kind. He wouldn't tell me why. The only difference between us was his eyes changed from gold to black and then back. He never explained why.

He lived in a small house in the middle of the woods. The only way to reach it was on foot. I parked my car several feet off the road and took off through the forest. It was a ten minute run; seven if I pushed it.

"Mason, what's wrong?" Kelly was standing right outside his house when I came up to it.

"Will you help me, Kelly?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I need you to help me... sort myself out."

"What's on your mind?"

"You know what I'm feeling. You tell me."

He stared at me for a while, studying and sorting through the mass of emotions I couldn't. After several minutes, a look of astonishment crossed his face.

"Mason.... how... long have you been a... mess?!"

"Too long..." I scowled.

"Well, what started it?"

"A human."

"How did a single human do all this to you?"

"She has some kind of vile witchcraft about her, and has elected to inflict it upon me! Even here, tens of miles away, her hold on me is still not broken. I crave to be near her, to touch her, and it only gets worse when I get closer!" I was making half an attempt to control my voice, but this was turning into a kind of outlet for me.

"So your attitude was caused by a human _woman_?" Kelly sounded both amazed and intrigued at the same time.

"Yes! It is torture! Give me some insight, so I may end this... madness!"

Kelly let out a bellowing laugh. The kind I had never before heard from him.

"Mason, my dear friend, I believe I know what your affliction is, and you are right; it is madness, but it is not the kind you can simply cure or run away from."

"There must be something you can do for me? Or some piece of advice you can give me?!"

"You're treating this like it's a bad thing."

"It _is_ a bad thing! She's driving me insane!" I was shouting now. Yet, Kelly remained completely calm.

"Mason, you want _my_ advice?"

"If you would be so kind."

"I advise you embrace what is happening. Eventually, you will be able to resist no longer. Accepting it is just faster." He gave me a slight smirk.

"You want me to accept and embrace this _insanity_?!"

"Yes. You will be much happier. Trust me."

"My god, man! You haven't even told me what the hell is going on!"

_Please calm yourself. Your emotions are reaching dangerous levels. _The voice broke into my thoughts.

"Don't you see it? You have stumbled upon what we all search for our entire lives! Natural or unnatural."

"Quit with the bloody word games, and tell me!!" I screamed at him.

"_Love_. You have fallen in _love_ with this woman."

Just like that... with that one sentence, my fury and my frustration vanished. Of all the things I expected him to say, _love_ was _not_ on the list. I refused to believe him. I _couldn't _believe him. There was absolutely _no_ way I could have fallen in love with a _human_! It was impossible!

_I agree. It is inconceivable._

"Do not be so quick to discount Kelly's theory. I have come to the same conclusion."

I was turned before he got to the second word. A human? What the hell is going on?

_No... not a human. There was no sound from his approach. He can't be human. Humans are not silent._

What else do you propose he is?

_You know as well as I do the information is far too insufficient to draw any kind of solution to that question._

_"_Who are you?" I asked curtly.

He was young, no more than seventeen. He was pale, but nothing like me, with long raven black hair.

"I am Magus Zanin." He gave a deep, sweeping bow. A tradition I watched disappear centuries ago.

"You!" I snarled at him and leapt through the air.

I sailed straight and fast right for him. Midway through my flight, I hit an invisible wall in the air. It halted my progress immediately. I was subsequently launched backwards. I sailed through several trees before skidding across the ground. I was on my feet and back to Kelly's house in seconds.

"I would prefer if I didn't have to do that again. If I came here to fight, I would not have come alone and this would be over."

"You expect to kill _me_?!"

"If I wished to, yes." He spoke with absolute calm.

To hear someone who obviously knew you were the most powerful creature on the planet, speak like they did not fear you.... it was mildly disconcerting.

"Now, as for why I came here... _I_ advise you give Kelly's theory more merit rather than discounting it immediately."

"Why should I listen you?"

"Whether you listen to me or not is not my concern. I'm merely here to solve the second of your problems."

"What? Kelly has answered my questions."

"Kelly has been kind enough to solve your first problem. However, I have determined he will not broach the subject of your second. _That_ is where I come in."

"Would you like to enlighten us as to what exactly _is_ my second problem?" I was annoyed. This creature threw Danica into my life without asking. He's the one who got me into my current position with Danica.

"What you are going eat since you obviously won't be surviving on humans any longer."

My brow furrowed. How....

_He is most definitely not human. He appears to know your thoughts. There could conceivably be supernatural powers at work here. There is enough evidence to support it._

"What makes you think I won't be surviving on humans? Human lives hold no value to me."

"No, I suppose they don't, but what Danica thinks of you _does_ matter to you. That is why you left, isn't it? You were ashamed."

I ground my teeth together. That was too close to home.

_Keep yourself in check. This creature may be useful._

I watched Magus smirk at me. Why was he so confident?

_We will discover that in time. Be patient._

"Fine... Suppose you're right. What will I be eating now?"

"Animal blood serves as a sufficient substitute."

I impulsively grimaced. I had smelled animals before. They smelled none too appetizing.

"I will admit it's not the best replacement, but it will keep the thirst in check. Besides, with the level of self-control you have obtained, you hardly need a perfect replacement. You will likely not even feel the extra burn." He commented about it like a side note.

"How is it you know so much about my kind and me in particular?"

"Why should I not know so much about those who lived among us for generations? As for you in particular, minds are not as private as most people think."

"I do not know you or your kind, what ever they may be." I said disdainfully.

"No, you don't. My ancestors and I were around before _your_ time."

"Do you even have any idea how old I am?"

"Older than any human cares to contemplate."

I smirked for a moment.

"Or would you prefer me to bore you with an exact number?"

My smirk disappeared.

_This has gone on long enough. Are you seriously considering letting this song and dance continue?_

No... I supposed not. I got my answers however much I didn't like them.

"Very well! It seems my work is complete." He smiled confidently. "I have a feeling we will meet again very soon. I look forward to another game of wits in the near future." Magus gave another sweeping bow and was gone. Into thin air.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: _WARNING!!WARNING!!WARNING!! Contains major spoilers concerning chapter 8! _**

**I wrote this very recently and in line with the story, meaning what I'm writing right now for chapter 8 is this or right after this from Danica's perspective. If you want to read this now then go ahead, I can't stop you. But I will, however, warn you that this is halfway through chapter 8 and Mason hasn't been in Boston for the past few days. This will spoil chapter 8 if you read it now. If you still don't care or you've already read chapter 8, please continue and I hope you enjoy this one like all the others. Hopefully, I will post chapter 8 within the next week or so.  
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Anton's and my excursion lasted only a few days. After we finally received the intelligence report about Osama's whereabouts we set out immediately. Full tactical gear, with the intention of not making a huge ruckus, but we were going to be prepared for a shootout should one occur. Anton and I practiced and planned our hunts. I had almost a century of practice while Anton was not far behind.

We perfected our self-control as early as possible. The blood didn't bother me anymore. I was changed in the late 1600s, Anton in the early 1920s. I had 200 years of training in dozens of martial arts. I taught Anton as many as he wanted to learn. We were bounty hunters, mercenaries. Mostly we chose our own assignments only occasionally taking a job. Even if somebody wished to find information on us it would be impossible. It didn't matter how much money they poured into the task or how much time. They would never find anything because, quite simply, there was none.

Our passports for when we needed to fly commercially in the beginning were manufactured illegally and weren't connected to any real world assets. All our houses we constructed ourselves. The building codes and building administrations were never consulted, so we didn't have permits to trace. Very few people were even aware of how many houses we had let alone of where they were. We didn't have driver's licenses. We barely even drove. Besides, if we were hit with a radar gun, our cars were had equipment installed that would first send a jamming signal followed by an EM pulse that would fry and melt any electronics in the gun and any electronics within five feet or any that were connected.

The cops try to clock either of our cars, their gun fries along with the computer chip in their car, their personal radio and the one in their car, their laptop, their cell phone. Effectively rendering them helpless. Without the chip in their car, it didn't start, so they weren't chasing us. Without either of their radios, laptop, or cell phone, they weren't telling any other cruisers or dispatch about us. We had nothing to fear from them.

After my very short T.V. interview, I immediately got back on our private jet and flew back to Boston. I already discussed it with Anton and he agreed to deal with the reporters and such then catch a commercial flight back to America. We both could pilot the jet, so I had no need for a human pilot who had to sleep, so when I got home at one in the morning. I didn't care. I had a hangar reserved for the jet and somebody who would park it for me. I simply got out and ran all they way home. It took less time than I expected. I was home before two.

I knew something was wrong before I got anywhere close to the house. I smelled other vampires and another scent I didn't recognize. Plus, the one thing I didn't want to smell.

Danica's blood.

_There was a great battle here. Between vampires and something else. The gravel's strewn like there was more than a scuffle. Trees are knocked down, their trunks shattered. There are eight smoldering piles of remains and blood of a type I've never seen before. _The voice rattled off the list of details.

More for its sake than for my own. I could see all those things just as easily as it could. Or rather it only saw them because I saw them. I had long ago learned to listen to it in high stress situations. That lesson had saved my hide more than once.

But this was different.

As soon as it finished its spiel, I shut it out. I didn't care. This was the one scenario I had never thought about and therefore, the one scenario I wasn't prepared for. I zipped to the door and yanked it open, taking great care not to pull it off the hinges.

The strange scent was all over the inside of my house. I could barely find Danica's amidst it all. I sped quickly into the living room and scanned the entire room in less than a second. There were small spots of blood here and there. There were also four people in the living room. All gathered around the couch rather ceremoniously.

And on the couch was my worst fear. Danica. She was laying there limp and unconscious. Her skin paler than normal and her heart beat accelerated too much for her to actually be unconscious. I searched her visible skin until I found the one thing I didn't want to find.

The silver crescent. It was already closed up, her skin paling and hardening. At that moment, I felt as if my body was turned inside out. Nothing was where it should be or as it should be.

All four guys turned to face me. They didn't blink, they didn't move, they didn't even look at me. I scarcely could tell they were breathing though I could hear their hearts clear as day. They all stared straight ahead.

"What happened?" I asked my voice hollow. It actually scared me. This was the first time I had heard my mouth produce such a sound. I didn't I was capable.

One man stepped forward, to separate himself from the group and spoke to me without meeting my eyes.

"Coordinated vampire assault, sir."

I waited to see if he was going to add anything else, but he didn't.

I crumpled to my knees beside the couch and Danica's body. I reached up brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers. Her skin was already growing cold.

"Enemy casualties." I resorted to standard military language out of habit and I didn't feel much like thinking at the moment.

"4 dead, 3 escaped, 1 captured."

That gave me pause. I withdrew my hand stood up in one movement.

"Show me." I commanded.

All the men to one side or the other, forming a path for me into the kitchen. The one I had been speaking to lead the way.

I found four more of whoever these people were sitting on the floor of my kitchen. They surrounded a fifth. A vampire.

_He is withholding information. About what I cannot guess, but we are not completely informed. _In the tension and emotion of the past 30 seconds, I had completely forgotten about the voice.

My hand instantly shot forward to grab a hold of his arm, but he whirled and spun out of the way and out of my reach before I could grab him. I heard three separate foot steps all taken at once from behind me before the one I reached for held up his hand. Everyone instantly returned to attention.

"If you have a question simply ask it, sir." He stated plainly.

"What are withholding from me? What are you not telling?" I demanded.

He seemed surprised for only an instant. "Our captive," He gestured toward the woman floating in the middle of the group. "is the one that bit Danica."

I didn't think, I didn't question. I only acted. I made my way back to the foyer in less than a second. I ripped the closet door off the hinges, not bothering with care or turning the knob. My hand shot up and pulled the silver case off the top shelf. I hit both switches and let the case open in mid air, upside down, snatching the long, small metal object that came out, out of the air. The case, I let crash to the floor.

I was back in the kitchen in the next moment and I seized the vampire by the neck throwing her through my back door. I followed her through the door very closely. As soon as she hit the ground, before she had time to react, I pointed the neck of the object at her and pulled the trigger.

A jet of flame shot out and engulfed. I held it for only a moment before cutting the flame. That moment was enough.

She screamed in a way only dying people can. She screamed and rolled sporadically around on the ground as she burned to death.

I smiled in sadistic pleasure. I enjoyed watching her burn. It would be a slow, painful, befitting death. But the pleasure was quickly swallowed up by the fire and acid eating away my insides. Dropping the handheld flamethrower, I walked back inside. All eight of the entities were standing around the door as I came in.

_These must be the provisions. They are certainly fast enough to compete with us, but obviously something went wrong. They were insufficient._

"Which one of you is going to give me answers?!" I yelled at them.

The same one I had been talking to before stepped forward. "I am, sir."

I zipped right up to his face so we barely had an inch between us. "And just who are you?"

"Captain Henka Ketsuki of the Karn interplanetary combat ship Blood of Ice"

"Then Captain, perhaps you can tell me just what the _hell_ happened here while I was gone!"

"We were prepared for anything, sir, except a coordinated, planned assault."

"You were supposed to _protect_ _her_!!"

"And in my mission, I have failed."

I screamed in frustration and pain, spinning around and putting my fist through the wall. I unceremoniously ripped it back through. Shoving through, their ranks I zipped back over to the couch, kneeling there once more. I lowered my head and kissed her cheek lightly.

"I'm sorry, my love…" I then picked up her body and carried it upstairs to my room where I sat cradling her, constantly apologizing, until it was over.


End file.
